Rajaram II of Satara
| Rajaram II | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kshatriya Kulavantas Chhatrapati Maharaj Shahenshah-e-Hind Hindupati Samrat (Padshah) | |||||||||
 Rajaram II | |||||||||
| 6th Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire | |||||||||
| Reign | Krishna Paksha Dvitiya of Margashirsha,1671 (S.V) (15 December 1749) – Krishna Paksha Saptami of Margashirsha,1699 (S.V) (11 December 1777) | ||||||||
| Coronation | Krishna Paksha Chaturthi of Pausha,1671 (S.V) (16 January 1750) (Probably) | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Shahu I | ||||||||
| Successor | Shahu II | ||||||||
| Peshwa | |||||||||
| Born | Krishna Paksha Ekadashi of Jyestha,1648 (S.V) (16 June 1726) Palace complex of Panhala Fort, Panhala Fort, Kolhapur State, Maratha Empire (present-day Kolhapur district, Maharashtra, India) (Probably birth date of true born son of Shivaji II) | ||||||||
| Died | Krishna Paksha Saptami of Margashirsha,1699 (S.V) (11 December 1777) (aged 51) Palace complex of Ajinkyatara Fort, Ajinkyatara Fort, Maratha Empire (present-day Satara district, Maharashtra, India) | ||||||||
| Cause of death | Deteriorating health | ||||||||
| Spouse | Sagunabai Jankibai | ||||||||
| Issue | Shahu II (adopted) | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| House | Bhonsale | ||||||||
| Father | Shahu I (adoptive) Shivaji II (claimed biological) (Shivaji II had a true born son in historical text) | ||||||||
| Mother | Savitribai (adoptive) Bhavanibai (claimed biological)[1](Bhavanibai had given birth to one son in historical text) | ||||||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||||||
Rajaram II (Rajaram Bhonsale, Marathi pronunciation: [ɾaːd͡ʒaɾaːm ˈbʱos(ə)le]) Krishna Paksha Ekadashi of Jyestha,1648 (S.V) (16 June 1726) – Krishna Paksha Saptami of Margashirsha,1699 (S.V) (11 December 1777), also known as Rajaram the Masquerader, was the sixth Chhatrapati (Emperor) of the Maratha Empire,[2] who ruled from 1749 until his death in 1777. He was the only son of Shivaji II from his only wife Bhavanibai as claimed, He was the adopted son by Shahu I (from whom he succeeded) and his wife Savitribai.
His reign marked for extension of Maratha Empire border till Attock (Afghanistan) to Cuttack (Bengal) and from Katra (Kashmir) to Tanjavur (Tamil Nadu) under leadership of Peshwa. As his reign started, an scandal arises on Rajaram II legitimacy that he wasn't true born son of Shivaji II and his wife Bhavanibai, he was the pretender from Gondhali Community. Hence, Tarabai arrested him in Ajinkyatara Fort, he was in arrest until Treaty of Jejuri was held in which, power of Maratha Empire had passed to Peshwa and Rajaram had held Chhatrapati as Ceremonial Head of State. Under his reign only Maratha Empire officially become federal. Shahu II the adopted son of Rajaram II succeeded his Chhatrapati title in future.
Early life
After Shahu's death, Rajaram II was appointed as the new Chhatrapati, the King of Marathas. When Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao left for the Mughal frontier, Tarabai urged Rajaram II to remove him from the post of Peshwa. When Rajaram refused, she imprisoned him in a dungeon at Satara, on 24 November 1750. She claimed that he was an imposter from Gondhali caste and she had falsely presented him as her grandson to Shahu. His health deteriorated considerably during this imprisonment. Tarabai later signed a peace treaty with Balaji Rao, acknowledging his superiority. On 14 September 1752, Tarabai and Balaji Rao took an oath at Khandoba temple in Jejuri, promising mutual peace. At this oath ceremony, Tarabai also swore that Rajaram II was not her grandson, but an impostor from the Gondhali caste.[3] Nevertheless, the Peshwa retained Rajaram II as the titular Chhatrapati and a powerless figurehead.[4]
Reign
During Rajaram II's reign, the power of the Chhatrapati based in Satara was almost totally overshadowed by his hereditary Peshwas belonging to the Bhat family in Pune and other commanders of the confederacy such as the Holkars, Gaekwad, Scindia and Bhonsale (Nagpur).[citation needed] During this period, the Marathas were engaged in a continual conflict with the Durrani Empire based in Afghanistan. the Third Battle of Panipat took place in his time.[citation needed] The Marathas and the Mughals signed an agreement in 1752. The Marathas agreed to help the Mughals defeat external aggression as well as internal rebellions. The Mughals agreed to appoint Peshwa Balaji Rao as the Subahdar of Ajmer and Agra subah. The Marathas were also granted the right to collect chauth from Lahore, Multan, Sindh subahs as well as some districts of Hissar and Moradabad. However, the Mughal emperor had also ceded Lahore and Multan to Ahmad Shah Durrani in order to pacify him. In addition, he did not ratify the transfer of Rajput-ruled territories like Ajmer to the Marathas. This brought the Marathas in conflict with Durranis as well as Rajputs.[5] Madho Singh sought help from Shuja-ud-Daula as well as the Afghan king Ahmad Shah Durrani (Abdali).[5] The Maratha-Jat relations also worsened during Rajaram's reign.
He was succeeded by Shahu II of Satara, another adopted titular ruler.
References
- ^ "The Forgotten Story of Rani Tarabai, the Indomitable Warrior Queen of the Marathas". 5 December 2017.
- ^ V.S. Kadam, 1993. Maratha Confederacy: A Study in its Origin and Development. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, New Delhi.
- ^ Charles Augustus Kincaid; Dattatray Balwant Parasnis (1918). A History of the Maratha People Volume 3. Oxford University Press. pp. 2–10.
- ^ Biswamoy Pati, ed. (2000). Issues in Modern Indian History. Popular. p. 30. ISBN 9788171546589.
- ^ a b G.S.Chhabra (2005). Advance Study in the History of Modern India (Volume 1: 1707–1803). Lotus Press. pp. 29–47. ISBN 978-81-89093-06-8.
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